Day 9: Play
Play is an important part of a puppy's life. And yours. How are you playing lately?
Play: to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.
We can all picture puppies playing: running, tumbling, pouncing, yelping, tussling, panting. It's physical, spontaneous and fun to watch.
Play is an important part of their development -- it teaches them how to interact with people, other dogs (and other animals) and the world around them. It's the same with human babies and toddlers: it's how we learn to explore and discover and try things out to see how they work. It's how we learn to fail and try again.
And for humans and dogs, it's how we tire ourselves out (in a healthy way).
The cool thing about puppies is they can turn ANYTHING into play. A stinky sock. A dish towel hanging on the oven handle. That pinecone they found on the ground during a walk. Your pants when you walk by. Their own tail. Learning what's appropriate play and not appropriate is part of the learning.
Something I particularly love about dogs is how open they are to play when they meet other dogs, even dogs they've just met. There's the initial checking each other out -- the sniffing, the tentative leaning in, the circling -- and then the invitation: bum and tail up, front legs splayed, and a short yip signalling go time. And they just know how to do it.
It's something humans seem to lose as we age: the ability to engage in play, both with others, and with ourselves. And yet, it's so critical to our well-being. Especially in the times we're in, when we're being vigilant about our health, and impacted by added stress, financial strain and loads of uncertainty.
It's times like this that play can serve us the most.
Play can open us up to new experiences, new people and new layers of ourselves -- skills, interests, joys we didn't know lived in us. Or, it can simply be an outlet for stress, worry or too much seriousness. It can show us different sides of ourselves, different perspectives and help us learn what serves us and what doesn't serve us.
So consider this your invitation to examine your relationship with play -- the act of doing something enjoyable for no practical purpose. And let the puppies inspire you, if you don't know where to start.
The Rest of Our Lives
So, what lessons can be applied to the rest of our lives, whether or not we have a puppy in our homes? Here are some questions that may help you consider the role of play in your life.
Our Households and Families
What does your household or family do just for fun?
How could you create more time for play in your household?
How could you incorporate play into mundane chores?
Our Businesses and Workplaces
What role can 'play' play in your business or workplace?
How might you encourage playfulness in that setting, and what could the results of play be?
Ourselves
What gets in the way of playing? How could you prioritize play, everyday?
Where and how do you allow play in your life?
What new ways could you invite in playfulness?
What else?
Where else are you seeing a need for more more or different or better play? Share your thoughts with me by replying, or posting on my social channels. Let’s keep this conversation going.
The bottom line: Play is what makes life enjoyable, so do it.
Puppy Update:
As I read this post again, it’s another good reminder for me to engage more in play. I seem to forget it. I’m someone who takes great pleasure from work, at least the kind of work I do! Something that’s emerged in our household is that as individuals, we value or are drawn to different kinds of play. I’m a solitary type. My spouse is a more social type. Our kid is a mix. (Go figure!) Negotiating our shared need for play (and the resulting connection) and our individual preferences is an ongoing conversation. It’s led us to both branch out and engage with others, and claim our alone time with more understanding that a choice for ourselves is not a strike against the other.